"Spanish Rail - Excellent"

Our journey was done in 3 parts; firstly Barcelona to Madrid, secondly Madrid to Seville and thirdly Seville to Barcelona. The trains were comfortable, clean, extremely punctual and fast- up to 300km per hour. Frankly it was a pleasant change from flying, consider Spanish Rail as an option if it fits the dynamics of your travels.

"Most of the trains were efficient as quite clean. "

Some of the trips we had included meals which was nice. The meals themselves were quite good, as good if not better than airplane meals. From were helpful as well. Some of the trains were a little old and worn but most were great.

2016

27OCT

Leo (North Sydney, NSW)Recommend:Overall rating:

"A great way to see Spain"

Overall a great experience but don't waste money on the 1st class rail pass as we did...then found that on 4 out of the 6 days of our travel we could not book 1st class seats even though I booked them from Australia weeks before we travelled!!! A real con job...and this isn't high season. Tried to upgrade at various stations but was sent away as we had booked these outside of Europe! Don't misunderstand me,the trains are great its rail plus that is at fault!

"Wow Spainish RENFE worked superb"

Just turn up at the station 30 minutes before your departure and walk thru security.
Work out which platform your train departs from and join the queue.
Swipe you're ticket. Walk along the train and look at the displays in the side of the train for the coach number.
Board, place your BIG bags in the rack and your hand luggage above your seat.
Don't forget to plug your 110 volt Two round pin charger in between your seats for iPads or alike.
Awesome experience even better than 5 years ago.

"Spanish AVE trains fast punctual and clean"

Loved the ability to get from a to b, quickly and in comfort. Stations great with left luggage, cafes and staff helpful. Seville had place marked to stand for correct coach which made quick boarding less hassle. Would recommend and will use again.

"Renfe Train Madrid to Barcelona"

High speed train between these two cities we travelled first class and it is a fantastic train. In the first class section of the train was full but it was mainly business people travelling but if you have baggage do be last as the train was nearly fully booked and luggage space was not large.
We boarded the train in Madrid and have to make allowance because you have to go through security to entry this area of the station so allow extra time.

2014

23OCT

DONALD (PARADISE POINT, QLD)Recommend:Overall rating:

"this was a pleasure to travel in europe on such a clean efficient rail system"

"Very efficient and someone helped us with our bags. "

For 2 senior travellers we were a little concerned about the train journey but we found it to be excellent and we would do it again and choose the train instead of flying. Thank you.
Regards,
Pamela & Marina

"Brilliant"

Seeing Europe by train is the only sway to go. Stress free, comfortable and leave exactly on time. They go superfast, often at 280kms and yet one gets an opportunity to see the world as it rolls past your window.

2014

18APR

Lyle (Chapel Hill, QLD)Recommend:Overall rating:

"The AVE from Madrid to Seville is a brilliant and very fast service."

"Quiet, comfortable, ontime, no hassles, expensive."

Seville- Madrid: Having wi-fi in tourist class would be an advantage. Half the seats face opposite to train direction, so would be handy when booking to be able to see seat direction.Almost as expensive as air fare, but takes you 5 minute walk to metro station (Atocha RENFE) in Madrid and don't need to leave station concourse.

"A great experience!"

My trip from St Pancras to Gare de Nord was amazing! The staff were incredibly friendly and extremely helpful.
My trip from Gare de Lyon to Figueres Vilifant was confusing as none of the announcements were made in English and considering the number of English speaking people on the train it was a little surprising. The staff at Figueres Vilifant were very helpful with the transition to the train to Barcelona Sants running smoothly with every passenger boarded within the allocated 15 minutes. Be aware that on theParis train, your food is included, but on the 5 1/2 hour trip from Paris to the border, there is a cafeteria car but you have to pay for your food even in 1st class. On the whole a great experience and I would recommend it highly.

"it was o.k"

Please use English in your announcements!!! We were broken down/delayed for a while and didn't know what was going on. Had to change trains at Figueres for Barcelona and there was no one around to explain what was going on. We had to rely on other travellers.

"Spain by train."

We were pleasantly surprised by the AVE having read everywhere that Spain had let its rail network slide under the dictatorship. Great service, great fun watching the speed which is displayed at the front of the carriage. We will do this again in Spain.

"Highly Recommended! "

Warm, friendly, professional staff who speak English. Very clean train that departed on time & arrived on time. Comfortable seats with room to move & lots of space for luggage. Delicious meals were served in 1st class. The whole process from purchasing the tickets online to boarding were all hassle free. We were very impressed & will travel with them in the future without a doubt!

"Beats flying hands-down"

It was my wife's first time to Spain, so travelling from Barcelona to Madrid on the AVE sure meant she saw more than she would from 30000 ft on a plane. By the time you add the airport checkin etc, it's about the same time, point to point. The only negative thing is the 1st class food and wine is definitely not - it's somewhere between awful and inedible. Not a big deal and wouldn't change my recommendation to use it.

"Brilliant, fast efficient service from time of booking to ease of checking in and travel, on time, only way to travel by trian."

Rail Plus congratulate yourselves on fast efficicent service that was able to be easily understood. On arrival to use the tickets, couldn't have been easier and the network was fast and efficient.
Anyone from Australia booking trains etc would recomment Rail Plus everytime.

"First class service in every way on AVE trains in Spain. "

Fast, clean, comfortable, on-time, great food and exceptional service were all part of our experience on the AVE trains in Spain. We traveled 'first class' rather than tourist and I thought the extra we paid was well worth it for the luxurious touches. It was a really great experience from go to whoa!

2011

12OCT

Ian (East Perth, WA)Recommend:Overall rating:

"The most comfortable and user friendly of all the trains we used"

Excellent service with announcements in English as well as Spanish (something the French could learn from as many passengers are tourists). Probably the best train I've ever been on - and I've been on alot.

"On time, quick and clean"

Although we were in second class this train was clean, comfortable, roomy, had plenty of room for luggage and had televisions overhead to watch during the trip (headsets provided). The train was on time and staff were helpful.

"Very efficient and clean, smooth and quiet."

Loved traveling by train. My husband who always prefers flying, said he would definitely recommend traveling by these trains. The staff were efficient and helpful even if they did not speak much English. I was quite amazed however that no one checked the dates on our Eurail passes in Spain, the tickets were all they looked at!

Moderator: "Not checking dates on the pass is not the norm. It is very important to enter the date on the pass"

2011

21JUN

Patricia (Twin Waters, QLD)Recommend:Overall rating:

"efficient, fast and clean"

We purchased a first class 5day/2month rail pass for France and Spain. I booked on line 4 seats for a trip from Seville to Barcelona. However we received second class seats. It would be helpful to find out why, as there was a better class of travel on our train from Seville to Barcelona on Saturday 12 June.

"Spanish Wall-E - Eurail"

With our Eurail pass for travelling around Spain firmly grasped in our hands we boarded the Renfe fast train from Barcelona to Madrid. We had pre-reserved our First Class seats, which we thought was a bit expensive, but once on the train, it is all worthwhile. The reservation cost includes a meal and head sets for the movie. The seats are like Business class airplanes seats, with drop down tray table and foot rests and recline for a very comfortable ride.
There is a monitor at the front of the carriage which displays the speed and before long we were zipping along at a very smoooooth 300 kmh. There is nearly no sensation of the speed you are travelling at until you travel along side a road and you are overtaking all the cars.
The biggest shock is when another high speed train passes in the opposite direction. The combined passing speed is 600kmh and the Whoomp as you pass is scary the first time.
As we slowed down to 150kmh before arriving in Zaragoza, it felt like you could get out and walk faster. The carriages are very quiet and much quieter than flying, with the benefit of arriving in the centre of a city.
The central part of Spain came as a suprise with crops of sunflowers for miles and miles. The soil looks that poor that it wouldn't support any agriculture. Almost as if the fields had been sprinkled with cement dust and crushed rocks.
There are many music channels to choose from on the headsets and the soundtrack for the movie played as well. The funniest thing though is watching the movie Wall-E in Spanish. This is a lovely movie and I can't wait to watch it in English.

2010

06MAY

Melissa (NSW)Recommend:Overall rating:

"Beunos Nachos: Barcelona! - Eurail"

Non-stop service Madrid to Barclona!!
Great service which now only takes around 4hours from city to city:) Trains were very clean and comfortable.
My favourite part of this trip is we could watch the recent movei Slum Dog Millionaire for the journey! I hadn't seen the movie before and I watched it in Spanish. I actually understood the stroeline too even though i had no idea what the people were saying. So i thought that was a great experience on my way to Barcelona :)